Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Irkutsk and Windhoek

For one person, living is cheaper in Irkutsk: $1,128 a month against $1,188 in Windhoek, rent and utilities included – about $720 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Irkutsk
🇷🇺 Russia
$1,128
/mo nomad
Windhoek
🇳🇦 Namibia
$1,188
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Irkutsk and in Windhoek

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Irkutsk and in Windhoek actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,128 in Irkutsk versus $1,188 in Windhoek.

  • Irkutsk $1,128
  • Windhoek $1,188

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,660 in Irkutsk versus $1,981 in Windhoek.

  • Irkutsk $1,660
  • Windhoek $1,981

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,191 in Irkutsk versus $2,775 in Windhoek.

  • Irkutsk $2,191
  • Windhoek $2,775

Living in Irkutsk costs roughly 5% less than in Windhoek, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Irkutsk 16% lower, Windhoek 12% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Irkutsk
Windhoek
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.18 ₽766
$11.42 NAD 188
-19.61%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$36.26 ₽3,026
$63.4 NAD 1,045
-42.82%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.07 ₽506
$5.94 NAD 97.9
2.19%
Cappuccino
$3.10 ₽259
$2.38 NAD 39.25
30.25%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.50 ₽125
$0.84 NAD 13.78
78.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.59 ₽49.01
$0.91 NAD 15.00
-35.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.34 ₽196
$1.95 NAD 32.05
20.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ₽303
$2.06 NAD 33.86
76.21%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Irkutsk
Windhoek
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.27 ₽106
$1.53 NAD 25.23
-16.99%
White Bread (500g)
$0.60 ₽50.1
$0.95 NAD 15.64
-36.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 ₽123
$1.99 NAD 32.85
-26.13%
Eggs
$1.62 ₽135
$3.06 NAD 50.4
-47.06%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.62 ₽970
$9.40 NAD 155
23.62%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.04 ₽588
$6.98 NAD 115
0.86%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.41 ₽1,036
$7.71 NAD 127
60.96%
Apples (1kg)
$2.11 ₽176
$2.15 NAD 35.50
-1.86%
Banana (1kg)
$1.97 ₽164
$1.98 NAD 32.65
-0.51%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.64 ₽136
$1.81 NAD 29.78
-9.39%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.43 ₽287
$2.05 NAD 33.75
67.32%
Potato (1kg)
$0.73 ₽60.8
$2.04 NAD 33.54
-64.22%
Onion (1kg)
$0.66 ₽54.9
$1.83 NAD 30.18
-63.93%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 ₽122
$1.97 NAD 32.48
-25.38%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.69 ₽57.8
$1.08 NAD 17.78
-36.11%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.13 ₽261
$3.28 NAD 54.0
-4.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.71 ₽643
$6.52 NAD 107
18.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.01 ₽84.1
$1.41 NAD 23.19
-28.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.01 ₽168
$1.43 NAD 23.53
40.56%
🚌 Getting Around
Irkutsk
Windhoek
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.62 ₽51.6
$0.82 NAD 13.51
-24.39%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.88 ₽1,326
$47.82 NAD 788
-66.79%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.17 ₽97.7
$0.81 NAD 13.32
44.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.17 ₽14.34
$0.92 NAD 15.19
-81.52%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.61 ₽718
$15.81 NAD 260
-45.54%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.84 ₽69.8
$1.35 NAD 22.20
-37.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.8K ₽2.4M
$23.8K NAD 391.7K
21.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.0K ₽3.0M
$26.7K NAD 440.5K
34.55%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Irkutsk
Windhoek
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 ₽10.1K
$144 NAD 2,378
-16.54%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.61 ₽468
$26.72 NAD 440
-79.00%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.44 ₽954
$51.2 NAD 843
-77.65%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Irkutsk
Windhoek
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.3 ₽5,620
$37.32 NAD 615
80.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.52 ₽1,796
$10.77 NAD 177
99.81%
Cinema Ticket
$6.65 ₽555
$5.29 NAD 87.2
25.71%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Irkutsk
Windhoek
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$389 ₽32.5K
$207 NAD 3,411
87.89%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,279 ₽273.6K
$5,433 NAD 89.5K
-39.65%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Irkutsk
Windhoek
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$74.8 ₽6,241
$56.1 NAD 924
33.35%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$23.65 ₽1,974
$35.37 NAD 583
-33.14%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.3 ₽8,289
$89.1 NAD 1,468
11.48%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$116 ₽9,675
$94.1 NAD 1,551
23.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Irkutsk
Windhoek
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$516 ₽43.0K
$504 NAD 8,302
2.31%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$366 ₽30.6K
$354 NAD 5,831
3.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$789 ₽65.8K
$1,147 NAD 18.9K
-31.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$484 ₽40.4K
$864 NAD 14.2K
-44.01%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,674 ₽223.2K
$1,625 NAD 26.8K
64.54%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,815 ₽151.5K
$602 NAD 9,920
201.43%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Irkutsk
Windhoek
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$655 ₽54.7K
$1,005 NAD 16.6K
-34.83%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
24.57
11.42
115.15%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Irkutsk: October 13, 2026

Last update for Windhoek: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Irkutsk
$366
Windhoek
$354 3.3% $12
Groceries & Markets
Irkutsk
$227
Windhoek
$225 0.7% $1.7
Eating Out
Irkutsk
$156
Windhoek
$159 1.6% $2.4
Clothing & Footwear
Irkutsk
$141
Windhoek
$124 12.4% $18
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Irkutsk
$138
Windhoek
$222 61.6% $85
Sport & Entertainment
Irkutsk
$81
Windhoek
$48 40.6% $33
Getting Around
Irkutsk
$20
Windhoek
$57 177% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $516 in Irkutsk and $504 in Windhoek. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Windhoek pays 53% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $36.00 in Irkutsk vs $63.0 in Windhoek. Groceries flip the comparison at $227 vs $225, with Windhoek cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇷🇺 Irkutsk
🇳🇦 Windhoek
🕒 Local time
19:47 7:47 PM
13:47 1:47 PM
6 h behind Irkutsk
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
617,515
322,500 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

NAD, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.84 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

Namibian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 NAD (100 NAD = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.53 NAD (100 NAD = 5.4 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Irkutsk Windhoek 11,790 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Irkutsk
  • Windhoek

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Irkutsk vs Windhoek: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Irkutsk or Windhoek?
Irkutsk wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Windhoek. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Irkutsk the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Irkutsk or in Windhoek?
On paper, salaries run 53% lower in Windhoek. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Irkutsk compared to Windhoek?
Rent for a central apartment: $516 in Irkutsk versus $504 in Windhoek. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Irkutsk and in Windhoek?
Childcare runs $389 in Irkutsk versus $207 in Windhoek. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Are groceries more expensive in Irkutsk or in Windhoek?
Shoppers in Windhoek pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Irkutsk or in Windhoek?
At $1,128 in Irkutsk versus $1,188 in Windhoek, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Irkutsk but tight or insufficient in Windhoek. The gap between the two cities makes Irkutsk the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Irkutsk or Windhoek?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Irkutsk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Windhoek. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Irkutsk vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?